Saturday, January 14, 2017

Quiltville Goes to China! (And Thailand!)

With the arrival of 2017, also comes a couple of bucket list adventures that seemed impossibly far away, yet month by month they are getting CLOSER!

In October I will be heading to China with a group of quilters and friends who have also long dreamed of putting our feet on the Great Wall, of seeing the Terracotta Warriors, of tasting the food, experiencing the sights and sounds of China for ourselves.

I already know some of the folks who are coming with me! We’ve been together on previous trips, be it Germany, Italy, England or Ireland. Some have been to Bali with me, and our desire to see China was only elevated by the short layover we had in Hong Kong. Oh, how we wanted to get out of that airport and explore!

I love to travel. Especially to places I have never been. And there is no better company dedicated to seeing things through a quilter’s eye than Craftours.com.

I wanted to share with you just a few of the things we are going to see on this trip, and hopefully tip you off the great wall fence into coming with me!

The dates are October 20-28, 2017. Our itinerary is packed with amazing activities and the package includes:

Tiananman Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the fourth largest city square in the world. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history.

Places I've heard of, but never thought I'd really get a chance to see!

The Forbidden City!

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

In our country, I tend to think as things over 200 years old as being OLD. The history in China goes back far beyond imagination. I can’t wait!

The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces.

Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall.

My feet will be here. I will touch this and leave a part of myself, joined with others who have also made pilgrimage to this place.

And you can come with me!

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven is a complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing.

The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It has been regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.

I love to watch and study people. I can't wait to immerse myself and learn all I can about the way of life of these people.

And to top it off, a visit to the Terracotta Warriors Museum:

What an amazing sight!

Have I interested you yet?

I have been traveling with Craftours for close to 8 years now. From cruises, to festivals, and cocoons to land tours, it is an amazing experience.

Even though we will not be sewing at sewing machines on a land tour, there will be time for handwork projects. Bring your own, and plan on a fun tutorial and project from me that we can work on as we travel within China either by comfortable coach, or air.

For 9 days we will get to know each other, sharing these experiences and making memories that won’t soon be forgotten. Our eye for color and design will ever be on the lookout for things we can incorporate into our quilting.

Husbands and friends are also welcome – this is not for quilters only, but we are traveling WITH quilters so those who are traveling by themselves will find themselves quickly included with people they instantly have things in common with and we will find new friendships being formed as we explore together.

This itinerary, pricing and escorts are subject to change. Insurance is available and highly recommended. Single rates are available upon request.

Please consult the Terms and Conditions, as they apply starting with the first payment. A 3% discount applies off the cost of the tour, if the tour is paid in full by check with in 7-10 business days of invoice date. Gratuities are additional and will be collected with final payment. All prices listed are in USD.

Our accommodations with Craftours have always been TOP NOTCH. This is going to be one amazing trip!

Following the China Tour, I’ll be heading over to Thailand to explore with ANOTHER group. I’ll be writing about that one tomorrow, so look forward to learning a bit about what we’ll be seeing in Thailand.

And if you are feeling VERY adventurous, maybe you’ll join me for BOTH! I’d love to have you!

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

It seems like a weird quote to go with this “Take a trip to CHINA!” post, but my memories and the things I have learned of other people, other places are worth far more to me than any souvenir I could have brought home.

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury

Thank you, Mr. Ray Bradbury!

Don’t forget – Quilt-Cam tomorrow afternoon at 2pm Eastern on FACEBOOKLIVE. If you miss it, it will be embedded in a blog post AFTER the fact and archived under the Quilt-Cam tab so you can catch it later.

5 comments:

Andy and I are so tempted by this! We have a son who lives in China so would get to visit him and his new bride as well as all the amazing things listed in your tour. This is the son whose wedding we attended last Saturday at the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris after not having seen him for 7 years! I assume we could add a few days prior to the official trip to be able to visit him. We'll have a look at the numbers again and hopefully be joining you to make incredible memories. Thanks for sharing yourself in this way Bonnie.

When I was in college Ray Bradbury came to lecture. He plopped his notes on top of some of the students papers on the podium. Lucky me! Ray Bradbury accidently picked up a paper I had written when he picked up his own. Yes, he did return the paper and for years I kept it because Ray Bradbury had touched it. I was an English major back then. Funny how our lives intertwine.

I am not able to go on a trip like yours because my husband is facing some major health expenses, so I go through other people's eyes. I am looking forward to your pictures. Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net